Microsoft Office 2007 FAQ
Do I need to have Windows Vista on my computer in order to install Office 2007?

No, you do not need to have Windows Vista.  Microsoft Office 2007 will run on a computer with Windows XP, Service Pack 2. 

What do I need to do to prepare my computer for the Office 2007 upgrade?

It is recommended that you run Windows Update prior to installing Microsoft Office 2007.  This will ensure that your computer has all of the latest security updates and patches.  To run Windows Update, visit http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com.

What version of Office 2007 do we have and what programs are included?

We have the Enterprise edition of Office 2007, which includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access, Publisher,   OneNote, and InfoPath

How do I upgrade my campus computer to Office 2007?

Open Internet Explorer and navigate to http://www.ccsu.edu/its/office2007.  Read the instructions carefully. Click on the checkbox to verify that you have read the instructions, then click on the Install Now button.

How do I upgrade my home computer to Office 2007?

Faculty and staff are allowed one copy of Microsoft Office for home use.  Bring your BlueChip ID card to the Information Technology Services Front Office (Henry Barnard Hall, room 019) and ask our secretary for a copy of the Office 2007 Home Media.  You will be asked to read and sign a licensing agreement before you are given a copy of the media.  You may install Office 2007 on one home computer only.

Can I have a copy of the Office 2007 Home Media if I previously received a copy of the Home Media for an older version of Office?

Yes.  When you install Office 2007 on your home computer, it will remove the older version of Office automatically.  You are allowed ONE license of Office for home use, so if you are installing Office 2007 on a different computer, you must uninstall the older version of Office from the other computer.

There is a new file format for Office 2007 files.  How does this new format differ from previous versions of Office?

The new file format is XML-based, which means that the files are smaller and less prone to corruption.

Is the new file format compatible with previous versions of Office?

No, the XML-based file format is not compatible with previous versions of Office.  Microsoft has a Compatibility Pack that can be installed on computers that do not have Office 2007.  The Compatibility Pack allows these computers to open the files, but will remove any formatting or features that are only available in Office 2007.  To download the Compatibility Pack, visit http://www.microsoft.com/downloads and search for Compatibility Pack.  If you are distributing Office 2007 files to people who may not have this new version, it is recommended that you save the file as an older format (in any Office application, click on the Office button, then Save As and choose the older version format).

Is the new file format compatible with our current version of Blackboard Vista?

No, the XML-based file format is not compatible with our current version of Blackboard Vista.  It is recommended that you save the file as an older format (in any Office application, click on the Office button, then Save As and choose the older version format) before uploading it to Blackboard Vista.  If you do upload an Office 2007 file,  when you try to open it from within Blackboard Vista, it will download as a .zip file; if you change the extension from .zip to the correct Office 2007 extension (for example, .docx for Word or .xlsx for Excel), the file will open properly.  We will be upgrading to Blackboard Vista version 4 for the Spring 2008 semester and Office 2007 files are compatible with this new version.

Is the new file format compatible with other operating systems, such as Mac OS 10 or Linux?

No, the XML-based file format is not compatible with other operating systems.  It is recommended that you save the file as an older format (in any Office application, click on the Office button, then Save As and choose the older version format) before distributing to non-Windows computers.  For non-Windows users, there is a free document conversion utility available at http://docx-converter.com. Microsoft also has a free utility for Office 2004 for Mac - visit http://www.microsoft.com/mac/downloads.aspx for more information.

After upgrading to Office 2007, some of the Office 2003 programs are still on my computer.  Do I need to manually remove these programs?

Certain programs, such as FrontPage 2003, Visio 2003, and Project 2003, do not have Office 2007 versions, so you may still use the 2003 version.  If programs such as Word, Excel, or Outlook did not uninstall, you must manually uninstall them because you cannot have two versions of the same program on your computer.

On my campus computer, I have a Get Started ribbon and the ability to save files as a PDF.  When I installed Office 2007 at home, I do not have these features.  Why?

The Get Started ribbon and PDF converter are add-ins that must be installed separately.  Information Technology Services included the Get Started ribbon and PDF converter with our on-campus installation of Office 2007.  To download these add-ins for your home computer, visit http://www.microsoft.com/downloads and search for Get Started and PDF converter.

I have an Access database that was created in an older version of Access.  Should I upgrade to Office 2007?

Before upgrading your computer to Office 2007, please contact the Help Desk to schedule an appointment with a support technician.  This is especially important if the database is used by multiple people because all computers will need to be upgraded at the same time.  ITS will help you to determine if the database can be converted to the new Office 2007 file format and coordinate the upgrade for all users of the database.

When I open Outlook for the first time, I am asked if I want to enable “Instant Search” and download a component from Microsoft.  Should I do this?

The Instant Search feature in Outlook now uses the same search technology that Microsoft Windows does to make searching faster regardless of mailbox size. It displays each individual result of your search immediately, as soon as it is available, while the search is still running. Search now appears in the same place no matter where you are in Outlook. You can also forward your search query to Windows Desktop Search for a broader search of your entire computer. If you would like to take advantage of Instant Search, click on Yes to the message to be routed to the necessary download.  Once the download is complete, you will notice a new Search box in Outlook as well as on your Windows Taskbar.  If you do not want to use Instant Search, click on “Do not show this message again” then click on No to the message.